Epidural analgesia and anesthesia in dogs and cats.
Current knowledge of drugs administered epidurally has allowed an effective way of providing analgesia for a wide variety of conditions in veterinary patients. Proper selection of drugs and dosages can result in analgesia of specific segments of the spinal cord with minimal side effects. Epidural anesthesia is an alternative to general anesthesia with inhalation anesthetics, although the combination of both techniques is more common and allows for reduced doses of drugs used with each technique. Epidural anesthesia and intravenous anesthetics can also be used without inhalation anesthetics in surgical procedures caudal to the diaphragm.
Valverde
Alexander
A
Section of Anesthesiology, Department of Clinical Studies, Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 2W1. valverde@uoguelph.ca
D015360:Analgesia, Epidural / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000762:Anesthesia Recovery Period; D000767:Anesthesia, Epidural / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D000769:Anesthesia, Inhalation / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000008:administration & dosage; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats / Q000502:physiology*; D004285:Dogs / Q000502:physiology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule / Q000662:veterinary; D004338:Drug Combinations
D000700:Analgesics; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D004338:Drug Combinations